Trio gets state time for East Penn break-ins

A trio of Allentown residents who committed a string of six daytime burglaries in the East Penn area last year are headed to state prison.

Joseph Smith, 18, was sentenced to four to nine years. Ashlee Massey, 24, and Ikeia White,19, were each sentenced to 21/2 to six years.

Before sentencing the defendants Tuesday, Lehigh County Judge William E. Ford told them that they stole the victims' security along with their valuables.

"In the United States of America, the sacred place is the home. You violated that sacred place," Ford said.

Smith pleaded guilty to committing three of the break-ins and no contest to the other three. Massey and White pleaded guilty to all six crimes.

The burglaries occurred in September and October 2013 in Lower Macungie and Upper Macungie townships. Massey and White, who cooperated with police after they were arrested, told detectives that Smith was the mastermind of the plan.

They said they would drive around neighborhoods looking for homes that appeared unoccupied. Massey would knock on the front door to make sure no one was home, then Smith would break in and ransack the house. White drove the getaway car.

The trio made off with computers, phones, credit cards, jewelry and guns. Massey and White told police that all the items were pawned for money to buy food and the street drug Molly.

In court Tuesday, all three defendants apologized and said they didn't understand the full impact of their crimes until they read statements from the victims detailing their losses. Among the items stolen was jewelry that one victim's daughter was wearing when she died, and an iPod that belonged to another victim's deceased brother that contained songs that held significance to the family.

One woman told the judge that she and her husband are planning to move out of their home because of the break-in. She said the burglars not only trashed the house by pulling out drawers and tossing items around, but also "defiled" the bathroom.

"They used the bathroom and did not clean it up. I'll just leave it at that," she told the judge.

All three defendants are natives of Virginia who came to Pennsylvania last year. They were residing together in Allentown in a West Turner Street apartment at the time of the crimes, and were caught when a computer and debit cards taken in the thefts were traced to their location.

Numerous family members came to court to show support for the defendants. Smith's attorney, Charles Banta, said his client has struggled with mental health issues.

Lawyer Thomas Joachim, who represents Massey and White, noted that the women immediately confessed after they were arrested.

"They did not shirk their responsibility in any way," he said.

As part of the sentence, the defendants must pay their share of more than $27,000 in restitution. All were banned from having any contact with the victims.

As they took turns addressing the judge, many of the victims said that they've felt compelled to install security systems as a result of the burglaries. Most said they hoped the trio would be rehabilitated so they could give back to society.

Burglary victim James Stranzl had some pointed advice for the defendants:

"I think they should get a job and stop robbing people and taking stuff that's not theirs."